Preached at Easton Church of the Brethren 11/27/22
1 Sunday of Advent - Hope
Imagine this: you are with your friends walking through a cow pasture in the mountains. As you walk, you are trying to avoid the cow patties in the field. You started your journey expecting to go for a hike to a cave in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but instead, the leader points to the hole in the ground at the end of the cow pasture and says “This is the cave” What is your reaction?
For some, this seems like an exciting new adventure, and they will jump head first into this cave, totally within their comfort zone.
For others, they’ll be immediately are gripped with fear. The task seems impossible, insurmountable, and dangerous. They are in their panic zone.
But some will fall in the middle. We trust the leader not to lead us into danger, so despite our doubt and our fear, we will trust that they know how to keep us safe as we enter the cave, and we enter into our growth zone.
Now there is another important piece of context. We know the leader is knowledgeable in navigating the cave, but he has not just come with knowledge, but supplies. He has given everyone a helmet for protection, a compass for navigating, a headlamp for light, and a whistle in case of emergency. Does knowing this change your reaction?
I start with this because a few weeks ago, I had the honor of spending 5 days with some of the most adventurous Brethren camping professionals I know at the Outdoor Ministries Association Conference at Brethren Woods in Virginia. The theme for the week was “Camp as the Adventure of a Lifetime”, and as you may expect, we had some adventures together, including the exact scenario described before. Together, we reflected on adventures we had at camp this past year, and the adventures we are looking forward to, and how we as camp professionals, who specialize in creating and stewarding adventure, can make camp the adventure of a lifetime to those who entrust us to their care.
The keynote speaker, Lester Zook, the previous Outdoor Ministry professor at Eastern Mennonite University and our caving leader, helped us define adventure. Adventure must have 3 things: a challenge, an unknown outcome, and influence over the outcome, or to put it another way: challenge, mystery, hope. But just as important as knowing what an adventure is, is knowing what it is not. A challenge with mystery but lacking hope is not an adventure - it’s a disaster, like a tornado or a sudden tragedy. A challenge with hope but without mystery is not an adventure - it’s a “liver shiver”, like a roller coaster or a scary movie.
Then we talked about Emergency Preparedness - which feels like the antithesis of adventure. However, just the opposite is true. When we enter into an adventure, we have influence over the outcome. That influence could be devastating if we don’t enter adventure responsibly. Entering the cave with the proper equipment does not detract from the adventure - rather, it enhances it, because in the midst of the mystery, it gives us hope that we will be safe, and make it to the other side of the challenge.
So what does all of this have to do with Christmas? Advent is a season of preparation, but often, in the comfort of tradition, we forget that when Jesus was coming to earth to begin His divine ministry, we weren’t preparing for a dinner party - we were preparing for an adventure - the challenge, mystery, and hope of the salvation offered through Jesus Christ.
Imagine this: you are the Israelites walking through 400 years in silence from God. As you walk, you are trying to avoid the foreign oppressors from Rome in Israel. You started your journey expecting to find a military savior who would free you from foreign oppressors, but instead, God points to the small child in a manger at the end of 400 years of silence and says ”This is your savior”. What is your reaction?
For some, this was a thrilling time - the beginning of God fulfilling the prophesied promises for a Messiah, and like faithful Mary, they willingly and joyfully accepted the commission to help usher in this new era. While Mary was likely far from comfortable physically - spiritually, she had tremendous hope and comfort in the promise of God over her life and the life of this child.
For others, they were immediately gripped with fear. This news threatened the entire fabric of their world. Like King Herod the Great, who, in a panic, ordered the massacre of the innocents in an attempt to stop this adventure before it even began.
But some fell in the middle. They trusted God, but in the light of the cultural perceptions, they doubted their ability to participate in God’s plan. But like Joseph, he was reassured of God’s will for this child to come that would be the savior of the world. He was told the plan and given the tools to complete it, and as a result, his faith grew.
Like the caving leader, God has provided all of the information and supplies to be able to go on this adventure. He gave scriptures that established His promise to remember from generation to generation. He sent prophets to foretell of the coming Messiah and what He would do for Israel and the world. Angels were sent to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds proclaiming the news, and how they were to respond. God even gave Mary and Joseph a road map and instructions on where to go when Jesus was born and to avoid persecution from Herod. If you were any of these characters, does knowing that God has provided all of this change your response to the news of Jesus?
The reality of the Christmas story in the time it was unfolding was very different than how we think of it today. Until Jesus came into this world, there were 400 years that are unaccounted in our Bibles, which is commonly known as the intertestamental period where God was “silent”. In this period, many Israelites were wandering through the proverbial fields and staring into the inconceivable, insurmountable hole in the earth that was this elusive Messiah that would save them. But after 400 years of waiting, they felt hopeless. As they faced corrupt leaders, wars, and exile, the plan of God did not feel like an adventure - it felt like a disaster. The challenge seemed impossible, so they created a comfort zone of laws and traditions, instead of bravely entering into what God was promising. They didn’t trust or see that God was giving them hope to equip them to walk through this new and unfamiliar terrain. This is why the prophets & psalmists constantly echo the promises of hope from God in this time:
Ps. 122:6 - Those who love [God] have rest
Is 2:3 - let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he may teach us his ways and we may walk in His paths
Throughout scripture, God gives us hope that His plan is trustworthy and true. He doesn’t let us jump into the cave unprepared. He assures us of His presence and peace with us, that He will teach us his ways, and lead us in His paths. Even in this intertestamental period, God was not absent. His word and promises remained true as He was setting the stage, preparing the way for the promised Messiah.
So when we get to the Christmas story after this period, we can see challenges, mysteries, and hope unfolding in every corner: when Mary and Joseph are presented with the challenge of bringing this child into the world, when the shepherds heard the news and traveled to see Him at the call of angels, and when the wise men were sent by Herod to see Jesus, but at God’s instruction dared not to return to the king to protect this sacred child. Many people faced challenges, took risks, and embarked on different adventures, all in alignment with God’s great adventure - the gospel as revealed in the birth, life, and death of Jesus Christ, who is the savior and hope of the world.
As I entered into the new challenge of entering this cave, I had no idea what to expect at the other end, but I knew I had a leader I could trust who equipped me with everything I needed to be safe and successful. So even entering the total darkness of this cave, I had hope that was given to me through the light and love of our leader. And amazingly enough, I discovered an incredible new world of beauty and joy that I would have never known had existed without taking that step of faith into this adventure.
In the same way, in whatever adventures God calls us into, even when we don’t know what to expect, know that you have a God who is trustworthy, and has given you knowledge and gifts to be successful. Even if you feel like you are entering the darkness of an unknown world, God light shines through the darkness, and that light is the hope of God’s promise to bring good things to those who trust in Him, and that He will never leave or forsake you, but equip and prepare you for what He has made you to do for His glory.
So how do we prepare to honor this Christmas adventure? In your preparation, make room for challenge, mystery, and hope. Reach out to serve the community in a new way. Share an experience with the people you love. Share your abundance with neighbors who may be in need. Travel to see distant family and friends you haven’t seen in years. Don’t settle for the comforts of the holiday season. Dare to join God on His great adventure. Embrace the mystery of the challenge, and hold onto the hope that God promises to those who love Him. Follow the instructions He gives as you embark on the adventure:
Rom 13:12,14 - Get rid of the actions of darkness and put on garments of light - dressing yourself with the Lord
Mt 24:44 - Therefore be prepared, because the Son of Man will come at a time you don’t know
He will give us the appropriate equipment, and have us remove whatever may hinder us along the way, and tell us to be attentive and prepared as we walk, ready for anything that may come, observing the goodness and grace of God on every step along the way. See how He changes you and the people around you in the process. You never know what God is going to do, and you never will until you step out in faith into The Christmas Adventure.
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